MBC reporters refuse to work

By Kim Tae-jong

Reporters from one of the nation’s major broadcasting firms said Friday they have decided to suspend their news production duties right after the Lunar New Year holiday in a protest against biased programming.

The decision came after 84 percent of MBC reporters eligible to vote agreed to take collective action to refuse reporting duties, according to the association of reporters at the broadcaster.

The poll was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, in which 137 out of 149 eligible reporters participated, and of them 115 voted in favor of the move, the association said.

Following the decision, they will stop reporting from 6 a.m. Wednesday. The association’s refusal to work will be the first since April in 2009.

“The purpose of our action is to normalize MBC news and reform the personnel in the news room,” Choi Hyung-moon, spokesman of the association, said. “The suspension will continue until the company comes up with reasonable solutions.”

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr

In recent months, the public have criticized MBC news programs for keeping silent on important or sensitive news stories and releasing biased reports on certain issues. MBC reporters also argue that their news programs are losing credibility and competitiveness for these reasons.

Along with the suspension, MBC reporters have also demanded the resignation of Jeon Yeong-bae, head of the Reporting Headquarters and Mun Cheol-ho, head of the Reporting Department, to take responsibility for the current problem.

MBC’s labor union has also called for the resignation of MBC President Kim Jae-chul, pledging to take due measures to support the reporters if necessary.

“If reporters go on strike, the union will immediately conduct a vote on whether or not to support them,” an official from the union said.

However, the broadcaster’s management strongly denies the allegation about distorted news reporting and has vowed to take due measures against the association.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr

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